The Deception
by Llama Queen Katie
Summary: Two weeks after the events of The Separation, Isabel and Arkarian get married. But on a trip to France, something strange happens to Arkarian. He's not quite himself. Book two in The Continuation Trilogy. Read The Separation first, or you won't get this..
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the second one! Just to warn you, I suck at wedding scenes almost as much as I suck at action scenes. Enjoy!**

**The Deception **

**Chapter 1**

**Two weeks after The Separation…**

**Isabel**

Wedding music plays, and everybody watches me as I make my way down the isle. Every single member of the Guard that lives in Angel Falls is here, even Dartemis and the Tribunal! Though that shouldn't surprise me, seeing as how Arkarian is probably the most famous member of the Guard ever.

I look up to the front, where Arkarian stands, his blue hair more vivid than ever against his black tux. Beside him stands Ethan, who agreed to be his best man, and Matt, Dillon, and Shaun stand as groom's men. On my side, Rochelle stands as my maid of honour, while Neriah, Mom, and Chloe Campbell from history class stand as bride's maids.

Mom's eyes glisten with tears as I move towards the alter, and all I can think about is how lucky and excited I am.

Since no church is big (or secret) enough to hold all of us, we're simply using Mom and Jimmy's backyard. Notice I don't say my backyard? I moved out with Arkarian last week. It turns out that Chloe has been with the Guard her whole life, and force fields are one of her skills. So she created one around the whole house, making sure that nobody walking past can see or hear us.

I finally get to the front and stand beside my one true love; my soul mate. My whole body tingles with excitement as the preacher does his thing. Finally, he gets to the vows. "Do you, Isabel Becket, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

I don't even hesitate. "I do."

"And do you, Arkarian, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?"

"I do."

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

We do so, and the preacher comes over to break us apart after about 2 minutes.

I throw the bouquet backwards, and Rochelle catches it. I grin. Ever since she came back (she still won't tell us how), she and I have become really close. I'm even friends with Chloe, now that I know she's with the Guard.

The Guard. Even though Lathenia is dead (again) and there's therefore nothing left to guard against, we all still stay as a whole. Especially those of us who are Named. Dartemis made sure to tell everybody in the Guard that his son took down Lathenia, with the help of the other Named, and every time he decides to bring out that story, we all groan, even Matt.

From what I've heard, the Order still remains intact, too, just in case Lathenia or someone else decides to take over the world again. If that happens, we'll be ready.

The events of my reception bring me back down to Earth, and I decide to stay there for a while.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Once everything is over, Arkarian and I say goodbye to everybody, and return home. As soon as we get there, I let out a huge sigh.

"Isn't this great?" I ask, gazing at Arkarian. "I mean, we always knew we'd be together forever, but now it's legal!"

He comes over and holds me in his arms. "Yes, it is great. I couldn't imagine being with anyone but you for the rest of my life."

I laugh. "You talk too much sometimes. Shut up for a minute!" I say before pulling him in for a kiss.

When we finally pull apart, he reminds me of something that I haven't even thought about forgetting. "You know, we still have to plan our honeymoon."

I pretend to think about it for a bit, but ever since I was a little girl, I've always known exactly where I'd like to go for my honeymoon. "How about…oh I know! No, wait…you wouldn't want to go there." I say all this with a mischievous grin on my face, knowing that he'd love to go the place I'm thinking of.

He grins too. "Well, if you won't let me see your thoughts, and you don't want to tell me, then at least give me a hint!"

My grin widens. "Let's see…we've both been there before, and it's technically the place where you first met me."

I can see him trying to figure out my riddle. "I don't get it," he says after a while. "The first place we met was right outside these chambers, but that can't be where you're thinking of."

I take his hand in mine. "Arkarian, I didn't say the place that we first met, I said the place where you first met me. Or, more specifically, the time."

With the magic word of "time", he finally gets it. "You're thinking of going to France, aren't you?"

I grin even more and nod. "France sounds perfect."

**Well? What do you think of the first chapter? I told you I'm crap at writing wedding scenes…**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm sure some of you have been wondering who the girl was in the prologue of The Separation, and I promise that you ****will**** find out…just not in this fic. Or for most of the next one…the only way to find out is to keep reading everything until the last chapter of the last fic (which is the next one, I promise). And I'm sorry that I haven't updated in a few days…blame Dragon Fable…there were so many times I wanted to type, but I really wanted to finish the quest I was on…of course, then my computer froze on me, so I had to start all over again…anyway, I'm getting off topic here. I'll just shut up now and let you read.**

**Chapter 2 **

**Arkarian**

I should have seen it coming. I really should have. I mean, Isabel and I have been to France, in fact, it was the site of our first mission together. It was also where I was born, and Isabel and Ethan helped deliver me, so in a sense, France was also the place where I first met her.

She wants to leave right away, so that we can have as much time as possible together before the baby arrives. The plan is this: we spend 2 months in France, and then another 2 months in England, which was my pick.

I thought it was kind of risky, because by the time we get back, 7 months will have passed, but Isabel convinced me that she'll be fine. It really amazes me how much she's been through since she joined the Guard, and yet, she still has the same adventurous spirit that she did 2 years ago. I mean, she was given extraordinary gifts at her Initiation, she was killed by Marduke on her first real mission, only to be brought back, she's done battle with some of the Order's best soldiers, she healed Shaun even under the threat of her brother's death, found her second skill, that night we went on our first mission together (I'll never forget that night), she travelled into the Underworld against my father's orders just to find me, and she's done so much battle with Lathenia and the rest of the Order. After all that, she's still pretty much the same as she was in the beginning, except a little more experienced. Okay, a lot more experienced.

Isabel clears her throat, bringing me back to the present. Everybody else (Ethan, Rochelle, Matt, Neriah, Jimmy, Shaun, Dillon, Chloe, and Isabel's mom) is gathered in front of us so that we can tell them all the plan.

"We're going to get on the plane to France in 2 weeks, where we'll stay for two months. Yes, that's a long time. And then we'll get on the plane to England, where we'll also stay for two months, and then we'll be back here." Isabel looks at her mom and Rochelle both. "And that will make it a total of 7 months," she says plainly.

Dillon, optimistic as he is, decides to bring something up. "But won't you attract a lot of attention?" he says, staring pointedly at my hair.

"Don't you think that we've thought about that?" I ask him.

"I'm going to dye his hair again," Isabel says.

"Oh, okay then."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two weeks later, we're saying goodbye and getting on the plane to France a few hours after that. We decide to pretend that my name is Kyle, and we just use Isabel's last name. So, at least for the four months we'll be out of Angel Falls, we're Kyle and Isabel Becket.

When we get off the plane, we check into our hotel and unpack our stuff. Isabel grabs the camera, and we go sight seeing.

That's pretty much how it is for the first month. After that, we decide to just check out the French restaurants. You'd think, wouldn't you, that having lived for over six hundred years, I'd know at least a little French, but I don't. So it's a good thing that Isabel was the top student in her French class, or we wouldn't be able to do much.

While we're in England, however, one night I can't get to sleep. Isabel falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow, since we just had a long day. I decide to go for a short walk, and write a note saying where I am.

Although I've seen all of London's sights with Isabel, we've never gone out at night before, and the city looks beautiful. As I'm walking, I feel as if there's someone following me. I turn around, and see somebody dressed completely in black. But even in the dark, I can tell it's a girl just by her figure. Her hair is piled underneath a black hat, but I can still see a few wisps of blonde in the front.

She comes towards me and looks at my eyes, if only for a brief second. Then, she speaks, and her voice sounds strangely familiar. "I was hoping for Isabel, but you'll do, Arkarian." She doesn't have a British accent, so I know she's not from around here. "You know one of my skills, but has anybody told you my second one?"

I shake my head, but now I know that she's probably with the Guard. "Look into my eyes," she instructs, and I find myself looking up against my will. "Ever had your body overshadowed, Arkarian?" she asks. As soon as my eyes connect with hers, her body turns to mist and enters me. "Now you have," her voice says from inside me. And that's the last thing I know.

**Ooooh…spooky! Yes, I'm a Danny Phantom fan, which is where I got the whole "Overshadowing" idea from. Like it? I do. Review and I'll post the next chapter…okay, I'll probably post the next chapter even if nobody reviews, but it's still nice…**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is!**

**Chapter 3**

**Isabel**

I wake up in the middle of the night, my sixth sense making my whole body tingle. I go to wake up Arkarian, only to find he's not there. I pick up his note, the words making dread grow deeper and deeper.

Quickly, I dress into something warm and leave the hotel. Although I have no clue where Arkarian could be, my sixth sense leads me directly to him. I walk up to him. "Arkarian! There you are! I've been looking for you. I think something's wrong." When he doesn't respond, I touch his arm gently, and he swings it up, hitting me in the face. "OW!" I exclaim. "What was that for?"

He doesn't apologize, simply narrows his eyes at me. "Are…are you okay?" I ask cautiously. I try to go over to him, but my sixth sense seems to be preventing me.

"Was it something I said?" I ask. He continues glaring.

"You know what?" he says, "Just shut up." And he punches me. Of course, it heals right away, but the fact that it happened is what hurts more. I feel the tears well up in my eyes.

"What was that for, Arkarian?" I exclaim. He's always been so gentle, caring, and loving that this one act surprises me.

"I don't love you, Isabel. I'm just pretending." His voice is the same cold one as before. "Why don't you just go back to the hotel, and leave me the hell alone?"

I breathe deeply, narrowing my eyes. "Fine," I snap, "But tomorrow, we're going back to Angel Falls. It's almost been two months here anyway."

And with that, I stalk off into the night. As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I try to think about what could possibly have happened to make Arkarian act the way he did. I figure he might just have had a bad night, or something, and that he'll hopefully be back to normal by morning.

Unfortunately, he's not. I try to embrace him when I wake up, but he pushes me away. "Just pack your stuff, and let's get out of here, okay?" With a sigh, I do so, and we leave.

During the long plane ride home from England, I try to engage him in conversation, but he refuses to talk to me at all. It's probably better this way, so that nothing bad gets said. Half of the flight goes like this, before I say, "Look, I don't know what I said or did to make you angry, but I'm sorry." He doesn't say anything, and I feel hot, thick tears roll down my cheeks. "Arkarian, please talk to me! Why can't you be the man I know? The one who tries to encourage me to do better, and who comforts me when my idiotic brother won't? Please, at least tell me what I did wrong so I can try to fix it!"

Even after all that, he still chooses to ignore me. So, I decide to do the same. For the rest of the trip, neither of us says anything to the other.

When we get home, we're greeted enthusiastically. But when they see that neither of us are very happy with each other, Ethan tries to talk to Arkarian, while I get bombarded by Mom, Matt, Rochelle, and Neriah. Jimmy, Shaun, and Dillon join Ethan helping Arkarian, but it seems that whatever he's mad at me for is something so big that he won't talk to anybody. As I look around, I notice that there's one person missing; Chloe. But before I get a chance to ask about her, I have to answer Matt's question of what's wrong. So I tell all four of them, then remember that Matt, Rochelle, and Neriah are all Truthseers.

"Matt, I need to ask you a favour," I say to him.

He looks surprised. "Sure, what?"

"I don't think that Arkarian is himself. Do you think that you could check his thoughts to see what's wrong?"

He laughs. "Isabel, this is probably the most experienced member of the Guard we're talking about. I doubt he'd leave his thoughts open for anyone to read!"

I shoot Matt a pleading look, and he gives in. Seconds later, he opens his eyes, looking startled.

"What? Did you find the problem?" I ask frantically.

He shakes his head. "Not exactly. But I think you were right about him not being himself; there was a strange fog surrounding his mind. I think someone from the Order could be controlling him, but they'd have to have a specific skill to be able to do that. There's only one person in existence that has that skill, and as far as I know, she's on our side."

I look suspiciously at him. "Who? Do I know her?"

"Oh yes. You know her quite well, actually. You see, the only person with the skill to overshadow somebody is Chloe. And the thing is, Chloe's not here. The last time I saw her, she said something about going to England."

**Sooooo…I guess Chloe's not such a good girl after all…why is it that in almost every single fic on GoT there is, Chloe (if she's even featured) is evil? Maybe because her character was really only mentioned a few times in the series, and she's a really easy person to consider evil…I don't know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Nothing to say here except: Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4 **

**Isabel**

"What? You think that Chloe did this?" I ask incredulously.

Matt nods. "Well, is there any way to get her out of my husband?"

"I'm not entirely sure," he says. "Although, I suppose that I could ask Dartemis for you."

"Would you please?"

He nods and does so. After what seems like an eternity, he opens his eyes once more.

"Well?" I demand.

My brother runs a hand through his hair nervously. "There's only one way, and I'll need Neriah's help."

As soon as he says these words, Neriah comes over. "You'll need my help for what?" she asks.

A silent moment passes between them, assuring me that whatever this plan is, I'm not going to like it.

Neriah looks at me reassuringly. "Don't worry, Isabel, it's not dangerous. The only thing we're going to do is gather enough power between the two of us to gently push Chloe out. That is; if she's really in there."

I gulp. "And…if she's not?"

Neriah looks at Matt nervously. "We don't really know what would happen in that case. But I'm sure it wouldn't hurt him," she adds, seeing the look on my face.

So, the two of them walk over to where Arkarian stands. By now, everyone else knows what's going on, and Mom and Jimmy come over to me, ready to be there.

Matt joins hands with Neriah, and the two Immortals create a large amount of power between them. They then push the energy towards Arkarian. It all seems to happen in slow motion; the ball of energy hits Arkarian, going straight through him, and then a misty form comes out through his back.

He falls to the ground, unconscious, and I rush over to him. Meanwhile, the misty form starts to take the shape of Chloe. I feel a whole lot of anger and frustration build up inside of me, and I stalk over to Chloe, punching her.

Matt comes over to restrain me. I know that it must pain him to see me this upset, and he pulls me aside. "Isabel," he says calmly, "I know how much you want to hurt Chloe. We all do. But if she's unconscious, we'll have to wait even longer to figure out why she did what she did."

As angry as I am, his words make sense. So I allow myself to be escorted back to the rest of the group, then I simply stand there, watching like everybody else.

Matt walks over to Chloe. "Tell me why you did this. What were you hoping to accomplish? Or were you just following orders?"

She swallows hard. "Well, after you killed the Goddess for the second time," she begins, her voice as cold as the Underworld, "the rest of the Order and I decided to get revenge. On you, Matt. We're not stupid; we know that an Immortal can only be killed by another Immortal. That's why the plan was never to kill you. No. Only to cause you as much pain as physically or mentally possible.

"We decided to do the classic, cliché, villainy thing: getting to you through the people you care about."

Matt raises an eyebrow. "So you used Arkarian?"

Chloe sighs and puts her head in her hands. "You don't get it. I never meant to overshadow him in the first place! It was supposed to be Isabel. I figured that she'd be unable to sleep, what with…" she trails off, staring pointedly at my stomach. _Keep your anger under control, girl,_ I tell myself.

Matt continues as if nothing happened. "And when Arkarian showed up instead of my sister…?"

Chloe looks back at him. "It was just an added bonus. I figured that if I pushed him away from Isabel, it would push her closer to you. After that, I would simply have to switch from Arkarian to Isabel, push her away from you, push everyone else away from you, and then you'd be ours."

"That's quite the elaborate plan," I say, narrowing my eyes.

She narrows her eyes back at me, and Dillon screaming suddenly breaks the tension. "Why do I always have to give up everybody I love?!"

We all stare at him in disbelief. "You…loved Chloe?" Matt asks.

Dillon looks uncomfortable. "Uh…oh crap. I'm stuck here, aren't I?"

Matt lets go of Chloe to round on Dillon. "Were you two dating?"

"Uh…maybe?" Dillon replies uncertainly.

"Guys!" I yell, pointing at Chloe…or, the spot where she used to be. As soon as Matt let go of her, she turned into smoke and drifted away.

Everyone gets into a huge frenzy, while Neriah and Matt try frantically to search the air around them for signs of where Chloe went. But my eyes flick to Arkarian, who gets up off the ground.

**How'd you like it? Just remember one simple thing; I'm crap at writing action scenes, but awesome at evil villain speeches. You'll see that soon enough…yeah, you think you've seen it already, and you have, but…I can't say any more for fear of ruining something.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know you're all dying to know what's going to happen next (either that, or I'm delusional), but I have to take this opportunity to tell you all about the chat board fic I'm going to start for GoT. I have all the chat names; I just need help with ones for Dartemis and Lorian. If anybody has any ideas for their names, I'll feature the winner in my fic, as well as use the names. Okay, enough chatter. I'll just get on with the chapter…**

**Chapter 5 **

**Arkarian**

When I finally come to, it's nice to feel a sense of control returning. As soon as she went inside me, I knew it was Chloe taking over. For the day or so that she was controlling me, I felt like a prisoner in my own body; unable to do anything except sit back and watch all the horrible things she made me do. In fact, the only good thing about the whole experience is that I was unable to feel any pain.

When I open my eyes, I see Isabel standing over me. She helps me up, and I instantly regret everything that Chloe made me do to her.

She seems to sense this, because she says, "Don't bother apologizing, Arkarian. I know you weren't in control, and would never have done anything you did." I can see it deep in her eyes that she means it.

It's probably a mixture of joy of finally having my body back and relief that nobody blames me for what happened that makes me kiss her suddenly. It's a very deep and passionate kiss, and when she pulls away, she whispers, embarrassed, that everybody's watching.

"I don't care," I whisper back, pulling her back in. She smiles and kisses me.

I reluctantly pry my lips from hers, asking what happened after Matt and Neriah separated Chloe from me. Rather than have to explain it all, Isabel shows me. My eyes widen when Dillon says that he loved Chloe, and once Isabel has shown me everything, I decide to ask Dillon a question. In front of everyone.

"Dillon," I begin, "did Chloe tell you anything about the Order's plan? Or were you just as clueless as the rest of us?"

He shifts uncomfortably, refusing to answer. So, I dive into his mind to find out for myself. As soon as I find the answer, I project it to Matt, Neriah, and Rochelle.

_Chloe told him everything, but made him swear to never tell any of us about it, or especially that she told him. The only reason he kept silent was because she threatened to break up with him._

All three of them are astonished.

_I can't __believe__ he'd let something as small and insignificant as that get to him! _Rochelle exclaims.

_I can,_ Neriah says. Both Matt and I agree.

_The only question is: what do we do?_ I pose the question, hoping that somebody will come up with an answer.

And somebody does, surprising us all, as it's Rochelle. _I say, live and let live._

_But Chloe and the Order were trying to kill me! _Matt exclaims.

_Yeah,_ Neriah agrees. _And we can't forgive that._

_No, but Chloe's already been punished. And, after all, it wasn't Dillon's plan, or his fault. In fact, Chloe probably wasn't even the one who came up with the plan._

I can see where Rochelle's going with this, but Matt and Neriah are both confused. _What are you trying to say? _Neriah asks.

I look at Rochelle. _Would you like to explain it, or do you want me to?_

_Um…I guess you can. You're better at that sort of thing._

_Okay. Well, although Chloe followed the plan, there still had to be a plan to follow. And somebody would have had to make the plan in the first place. We know it wasn't Dillon, and it probably wasn't Chloe either…_

A long pause follows my words. Then Neriah breaks the silence. _If Chloe told Dillon __everything__, do you think that she told him whose plan it was, too?_

_Probably,_ I say.

_If,_ Rochelle points out, _Chloe even knew who thought of it._

More silence meets her statement. _Don't you think that somebody should find out?_

_I will, _I volunteer. And with that, I dive, once more, into the depths of Dillon's mind. What I find shocks me.

_Well? _Neriah demands. _Who was it?_

I stay silent.

Matt starts to get frustrated. _Come on, Arkarian! Tell us!_

_You won't believe me,_ I warn.

Rochelle pipes up. _If you don't tell us, we'll find out ourselves._

_It's probably better that way._

_No, _Neriah says, _I want to hear it from you._

_Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you._ I take a deep breath. _It was Marcus Carter._

**Ooooh…yeah, I like cliffies. Not my fault! If you think it's bad ****now****, just wait until the third one! Ooooh boy, that's a lot of cliffhangers! Anyway, review, and don't forget to put in your suggestions for Dartemis and Lorian's chat names!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, here's the next chapter!**

**Chapter 6 **

**Isabel**

Arkarian pulls me to the side and tells me about the "conversation" he just had with the other Truthseers.

"A-are you sure it's Mr. Carter?" I ask uncertainly, "I mean, that's impossible! Rochelle, Neriah and I all saw him get eaten by the demons in the demon pit!"

"Actually," Rochelle says, coming over with Neriah at her side, "we only saw the demons close in on him. For all we know, he could have been saved at the last moment by the magical pixies from Pixie World."

We all stare at her. "What?" she asks. "Just trying to break the tension!"

Well, it worked. A few seconds after she says that, I burst out laughing. That gets Neriah giggling, which makes Matt laugh, which makes Rochelle laugh, making Arkarian laugh, making Ethan laugh, making Shaun laugh, making Jimmy laugh, making Dillon laugh, making Mom laugh, making me laugh even harder.

What can I say? The tension broke!

"Rochelle's right, though," Ethan says, once we can all breathe again.

Rochelle looks confused. "You mean, Mr. Carter really was saved by pixies?"

"No, probably not, but that's not to say that he wasn't rescued by someone."

We all stare at him. "And, you would know this how, exactly?" Dillon asks.

Ethan shrugs. "Just a wild guess," he replies.

A voice speaks from behind me; a voice that makes my skin crawl. "But wild guesses are usually correct, especially for you, Ethan."

I already know exactly who it is, and I'm guessing that everyone else does too, but we turn around slowly anyway, to build suspense. Sure enough, Mr. Carter is standing right behind us all. Each and every one of us stands, glaring at him, arms crossed in front of us. He just stands there, grinning as if nothing happened. However, when he sees us all glaring, his grin fades.

"What? Can't we just forgive and forget?" Oh boy, he's hopeless.

Ethan's eyes narrow at the same time as Rochelle's. "You turned traitor against all of us," he says. "And, what's more, you tried to give Rochelle to the demons! How can any of us forgive or forget that?"

Mr. Carter shifts nervously. "Well, of course I turned traitor! My brother pushed me into it! Marduke can be very persuasive, you know!"

Rochelle's eyes narrow even more. "Oh, I know. He tried to convince me that I was 'seeded of evil' because of my father. And he almost succeeded."

"When we all know that it's thanks to him that I'm the one who's seeded of evil," Neriah finishes.

Mr. Carter shifts nervously again. "Well…I…about the whole 'feeding Rochelle to the demons' thing…"

"Yes?" we all say in unison.

"Well…you've got to see it from my perspective. If you were the traitor, and somebody found out, wouldn't you want that person out of the way so they wouldn't tell anyone else?"

"I wouldn't even become a traitor in the first place," Ethan replies coldly.

Mr. Carter stumbles, then regains control. "Yes, I know. But what if you were given a choice between death and turning against everyone?"

Bad thing to say…everybody knows how Ethan's going to reply to that, and we'd all say the same. "I would have chosen death rather than betray my friends."

Mr. Carter seems at a loss for words. Fortunately, Matt steps in before this gets ugly. "We all know that what Marcus did was wrong," he says, looking at Mr. Carter, who looks very sorry, "but I still think he deserves a second chance. Two of us know just how persuasive Marduke could be," he looks pointedly at Rochelle and Neriah; Rochelle looks embarrassed, "One knows how passionate he was about everything he believed was right," here he looks at Shaun, "and we all know how evil he was. I say we give him the benefit of the doubt. I'm almost afraid to say it, but…what do you all think?"

At once, Rochelle and Ethan begin yelling at Matt, saying how he's wrong, and how Mr. Carter is a bastard, until one clear voice breaks through.

"I think we should give him a chance." Everyone looks at Arkarian.

Matt raises and eyebrow. "What's your suggestion?" he asks.

"I say we give him a 3 month probation. We let him join us again for 3 months, perhaps as a spy, and if any of us notice anything suspicious going on (such as the Order knowing exactly what our plans are), we kill him." He says this so plainly and simply, as if he's explaining that 1 plus 1 equals 2.

The entire group is silent for a moment, then Rochelle speaks. "But isn't it possible that somebody else in here is a spy for the Order, and would use this opportunity to give them info while we think it's Carter?" She shoots a glance at Dillon.

All this talk of traitors is giving me a headache. I try to remember how we sorted it all out last time…"Rochelle!" I exclaim suddenly. "Your hands!"

She looks down at them. "Yeah, what about them?"

"The last time we tried to figure out who the traitor was, Lorian connected your two skills to one another, so you can see into a person's soul by touching their head."

A look of realization dawns on her face, as well as the faces of everyone else. "You're saying that if the Order finds out our plans, I just test everyone to see who told them?"

I nod. "Exactly! If, that is, you're willing to do so."

She hesitates, then nods. "Anything to keep us all safe."

**The plot thickens…of course, I already know exactly what's going to happen…as for you? You'll just have to read on to find out, now won't you? Next chapter is one of my favs…you'll see why if you keep reading…of course, you can't keep reading unless I keep writing…the good thing about the next chapter being my fav is that I'll have it up quickly. Like, within the next few minutes…okay, I'll shut up now. Don't forget to review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Told you this would be up soon!**

**Chapter 7 **

**Arkarian**

So it's settled. Marcus gets a 3 month probation of being a spy for our side, and if it turns out that he decides (once again) to betray us, we kill him. If not, he stays with the Guard for the rest of his life.

The first month and three weeks go by fine; nothing worth mentioning there. Of course, the Order think that Marcus is on their side again, while he's really with us. Which means that whenever the Order plan something, Marcus tells us the exact details, and we can be there to stop it.

Then, one night, Isabel and I are walking home from a meeting for the Named, when she drops to the ground.

I'm walking a few steps ahead of her, so I don't notice her drop right away. I go back, only to find her rolling on the ground. "What's wrong? Is it a vision?"

She shakes her head, but grabs my hand and pulls me to her level. There's so much pain in her eyes, that, for a second, I'm unsure of what to do. But then she tells me. "Get Matt," she says, her teeth gritted in pain. She seems to consider something, then says, "Tell him to come here, and bring Mom with him. And Rochelle, too."

I contact Matt first. _Matt, Isabel wants you._

He responds with urgency. _What's wrong?_

_I have no idea, _I reply truthfully, _But she wants you to come here and bring your mom with you._

_Where are you guys?_

_We're in a small clearing on the way home._

Silence. Then, _Okay, we're coming._

I contact Rochelle next. Her reaction is the same as Matt's. _What happened?_

_I don't know. She just dropped on the ground and started rolling around in pain, clutching her stomach._

_Oh god no! _is Rochelle's reply. _I'm coming right away!_

I tell Isabel that her mom, Matt, and Rochelle are coming. Then I tell her about Rochelle's reaction.

She nods her head. "I knew she'd get it." She closes her eyes in pain. I sit down on the grass beside her and hold her hand, focusing on easing the pain. Her face, which was red before, turns slightly more normal. She lifts her head a little, looking in the other direction, then lets it flop back down on the grass.

"They're coming," she whispers. Sure enough, Matt, Rochelle, and Isabel's mom come up the hill. As soon as they see us, Rochelle comes running over, immediately taking charge. She's brought with her a bunch of blankets, a few flashlights, some pairs of latex gloves, and even a pair of scissors.

"Matt," she directs, "you gather the stuff I brought and stack it neatly, getting ready to hand me some of the stuff when I tell you to. Coral," she says to Isabel's mom, "grab Isabel's other hand. Arkarian…" she looks at me, trying to figure out what I should do. "Just keep doing whatever it is you're doing. It seems to be working. Isabel, hold on. Use your skills of healing to help."

I then realize what's going on, and can't believe I didn't figure it out before!

Rochelle looks at me sympathetically. _It's okay, Arkarian. Matt didn't know either until I told him on the way here. Coral and I both knew…must be a girl thing._

When Isabel told everyone she was pregnant, it was seven months ago, and she was already two months into it. Yeah, you get my drift…

It's a good thing Rochelle brought flashlights; it gets dark very quickly, and soon, Isabel's the only one who can see without a flashlight. But Rochelle's the one who needs it the most.

Finally, after 15 long hours, Rochelle says excitedly that she can see a head. I sit up straighter and get a better grip on Isabel's hand. It can't be long now.

_How much longer, do you think? _I ask Rochelle.

_It's indefinite. But if I had to guess, I'd say under an hour._

I breathe a sigh of relief. My butt is killing me from sitting so long.

Soon, the rest of the baby starts to appear, and Rochelle elbows Matt to wake him up.

"We're almost done now," she says to everyone. Then, we all sigh when Rochelle pulls out a baby.

**See? Told you this is one of my favourite chapters! Now you know why! The next one is good too…okay, I'll just get started on that one now…**


	8. Chapter 8

**So how do you all like this fic so far? I really want to know! This isn't my all time fav of the series, but the ending is funny! Oh well…the next one is my favourite. Anyway, here's the next chapter!**

**Chapter 8 **

**Isabel**

Rochelle gets Matt to give the pair of scissors to Arkarian, and then instructs him to cut the baby's umbilical cord. He does so, and Rochelle takes the baby down to a nearby stream to wash it, taking a few towels and blankets with her. I sit up as she comes back, my child wrapped in a pink blanket. She hands the baby to me, and I take it in my arms.

"It's a girl," Rochelle whispers softly. I look down at my new daughter's beautiful face, cradling her in my arms. I feel tears fill my eyes as I pass the bundle to Arkarian. He smiles, and passes the bundle to Mom, tears running down her cheeks. Rochelle is next to hold the baby, and then Matt. Even he can't resist smiling. As he hands the baby back to me, he asks us, "Have you thought of a name yet?"

"Ophelia," Arkarian and I say in unison.

With Arkarian's help, I stand up to say goodbye and thank you to everyone, as it is now way past midnight. I pass my new daughter to Arkarian so I can hug everyone. First Rochelle. "Thanks for delivering her for me," I say. She smiles, saying, "That's what friends are for."

Next, I go up to Mom. "Thanks for helping me through it all."

Then to Matt. "Thanks for…" I try to figure out what he did. "Thanks for being here. Oh, and for bringing Mom."

When all is said and done, the three of them head back into the city while the three of us head home.

As we're walking, Arkarian says, "You know, I didn't get my thank you yet."

I smile mischievously. "That's because your thank you is more special than the others. When we get home, I'll give you yours."

He grins. I suddenly feel extremely tired, and lose my balance. As I'm falling, I start to lose consciousness too, but not before I feel a strong pair of arms break my fall.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

When I open my eyes, I'm at home. Ophelia is asleep in the crib we bought earlier on in the week, and I'm lying down on my bed. I get up and start looking for Arkarian.

It doesn't take me long to find him fast asleep on the couch with the T.V on in front of him. I grab the remote from the table and turn the T.V off. I then sit beside Arkarian, silently stoking his blue hair. A smile forms on his face.

"That feels nice," he whispers, opening his eyes. I grin.

"I still haven't thanked you for your part with Ophelia," I remind him, bringing his face to mine with my hands. "So thanks." I kiss him. It lasts for a long time, and probably would have gone on longer if we didn't hear Ophelia crying from her crib.

I pull away reluctantly. "I'd better go see what's wrong," I say, walking towards the bedroom. My little girl is flailing her arms and legs by the time I get there. I pick her up gently, rocking her when I do. _She's probably hungry,_ I think, so I feed her. Soon, she's asleep in my arms. I place her back in her crib, walking back to the living room.

"You know," I say to Arkarian as I sit down, "they say that having a baby kills the romance in a relationship."

"And why would they say that?" he asks, kissing me.

"Because," I reply between kisses, "soon, Ophelia will be taking up most of our time, as cute as she is."

"Yes," Arkarian says, "she is cute. She takes after her mother that way."

I giggle. "But she has her father's eyes," I say, which is actually true. Arkarian's eyes used to be blue once-upon-a-time.

"Her mother's nose," Arkarian says.

"Her father's ears."

He laughs. "Okay, I get it; Ophelia has a lot from both of us. But I really hope that she gets…certain parts from you."

I laugh. "Arkarian!" I exclaim, punching him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh, your brother is outside," he says suddenly.

This startles me. "What is he doing here?" I wonder out loud. Arkarian shrugs, and we go out to greet him

**Ooooh…what does Matt want? Only I know! Wait…what happens again? Oh yeah! I'm okay now! Keep reading, and you'll know soon too! But don't forget to review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So…what does Matt want? You'll see… **

**Chapter 9 **

**Arkarian**

We greet Matt outside, and it turns out that the rest of the Named are there, aside from Jimmy and Shaun.

"What's going on?" I ask Matt.

"Well," he starts, "it appears that the Order is planning to ambush us just when we were starting to live somewhat normal lives."

Beside me, Isabel groans. "What now? Are they going to send in a bunch of wren, or something?"

Matt shakes his head. "I wish. It's much worse than wren. They're bringing the demons of the Underworld as well as themselves. But that's not the worst part."

"You mean, there can be something worse than having to fight off the Order and their demons?" Rochelle demands. By the looks of things, Matt hasn't told anybody anything yet; not even Neriah.

I look around at the group's stunned faces, and notice that there's someone missing besides Jimmy and Shaun.

Matt sees me looking and nods. "Yes," he says, "there is something worse."

We all hold our breath, waiting. "I can't find Marcus."

At once, everyone starts yelling. Matt puts a hand up, and all falls silent. "Don't worry about it yet," he says. "For now, we should all be content with getting rid of the Order and their demons. If any of us sees Marcus fighting for the Order, they have both mine and my father's permission to kill him. If not, and he comes back after we're done, Rochelle will check him. If she finds anything that suggests treachery, we kill him."

"Great," Isabel says. "When do we leave?"

We all shout, "NO!"

She looks at me curiously, so I explain. "You can't come with us."

"And why not?" she demands, hands on her hips.

"Because you have to stay here with Ophelia."

"But I can't take care of a baby on my own!"

"We know," Matt says calmly. "That's why Rochelle will be staying with you."

"She will?"

"I will? When was this decided?"

"Last night," Matt replies, "when I was talking to my father and the Tribunal."

"And I don't get any say in the matter?"

"Rochelle," Ethan says, going over to her, "you are the only logical choice. Everybody else is needed in the battle. Although it would be nice for you two to be in it as well, that's not an option."

"What?" Rochelle exclaims. " 'Everybody's needed in the battle'? Why can't Neriah stay? Surely you don't need two Immortals in one battle!"

Matt thinks about it. "Actually, you're right." He turns to Neriah. "So it looks like you'll be staying in Rochelle's place…if that's okay with you, of course."

"Why does she get a choice but I didn't?" Rochelle demands.

"Because we all know what your answer would be," Dillon says.

"It doesn't matter," Neriah cuts in, "because I'll stay."

"Okay," Matt says. "Then we'd better get going." All of us except Isabel and Neriah leave.

As we're walking, I ask, "Why aren't Jimmy and Shaun coming?"

"They decided to stay behind. They're not as young as they used to be…"

An awkward silence breaks over the group, finally broken by Rochelle changing the subject. "So where exactly are we going?"

"I have no idea," Matt replies, "but wherever the Order meets up with us is where we'll stop."

"In other words," Dillon interprets, "if Mr. Carter only said that the Order is going to attack so we'd be out of Angel Falls, we'll be walking forever."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Great," Rochelle says sarcastically. "This will be fun."

**Yeah, there's alot of underlining in this chapter...not my fault! Okay, maybe it is...oh well!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Isabel**

Two weeks! That's how long it's been since the others left! You'd think, wouldn't you, that they'd be back by now. Seriously, two weeks is way too long!

Neriah and I are kept busy, teaching Ophelia to crawl. She's getting it pretty quickly, actually. For the most part, Ophelia's been really well behaved, except for the fact that she constantly wakes up in the middle of the night.

But one day, I can't find Ophelia anywhere! Suddenly, a tiny mouse streaks across the floor, and then jumps on the couch and curls up, falling asleep. I call Neriah, knowing that her original skills lie mostly with animals. She comes over and takes one look at the mouse before saying, "Isabel, that's your daughter."

"What?" I exclaim, astonished. "How can that be Ophelia? Unless…"

Neriah nods. I turn to her. "You knew." I state. "You and Matt both knew this already!"

Again she nods. "How? How did you all know?"

Neriah hesitates. "Well, Immortals have always been able to tell when a child with skills is being born, which is how Lorian was able to tell when another potential member of the Guard or even of the Named was being born."

"And let me guess; you can also tell what skills the child is going to have."

"No, not always. Some Immortals can sense it, but for the most part, we just have to let the kid find the powers on their own. Ophelia was a special case."

I pick up the tiny mouse and hold her in my hands. Then I ask Neriah, "How were you able to tell with her? Did all of you sense it, or just one?"

"Only me. I told the others, though. I think the reason that I could tell is because of my skills with animals. And as you've probably noticed, Ophelia's a shape shifter. I thought that you'd be able to tell, seeing as how you've got a sixth sense, but I guess I was wrong."

I shrug. "I guess it doesn't work like that."

We're both silent for a while, before I ask, "So…how long before she turns back?"

"It depends on her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when each of us got our skills, it just sort of happened, and we had no say in the matter. We didn't know what was going on. Ophelia, however, knows exactly what she's doing, and how she's doing it."

"So what you're saying is…"

"That since Ophelia transformed with every intention to do so, she'll also turn back whenever she feels like it."

I sigh, and sit down on the couch with Ophelia still asleep in my hands. "Let's just hope she 'feels like it' before the others get back." 

Once she wakes up, however, she turns back right away, demanding food in her own way. After I feed her, Neriah suggests that we go to the park.

"Great idea!" I exclaim. "If it weren't raining."

She grins mischieviously. "Well," she says, "I am an Immortal, so I can make it stop raining." She does so, and the three of us go to the park.

It's a good thing I wasn't popular at school; otherwise I'd have to answer a lot of awkward questions. The main question I'd never be able to answer is "Who's the father?" I mean, I have to obey the Guard's code of secrecy, so unlike everything Ethan did when he was my Trainer.

Neriah turns to look at me. "Besides," she whispers, "who'd believe that you're the wife of a 600 plus year old man with the body of an 18 year old?"

I laugh. "Good point." Just then, a blonde girl comes up to us.

"Cute baby, Isabel," she says.

"Thanks, she's-" I stop as the girl looks up. Her eyes are really familiar…as soon as a man walks up behind her, I realize that this is Chloe, and the man is Mr. Carter.

"Oh…crap." I say eloquently.

Chloe grins evilly. "You got that right."

**Oh no! What could Chloe and Carter possibly want with Isabel, Neriah, and little Ophelia? Any number of things, really. I wonder how everyone else is doing…**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Arkarian**

We've been walking two weeks before the Order decides to make an appearance. But when they do, we're ready for them.

One of them sees this and laughs. The rest of them join in. We are all confused, but don't let our guard down.

The one that seems to be the leader says, "Look at this! They've come prepared for a fight! I wonder if there's a traitor in our group?" He says this sarcastically. "I hope you all know exactly why you're here."

"Of course we do," Matt says, though I can hear uncertainty in his voice. "You were planning to ambush us."

The Order members laugh some more. Matt looks at me and I shrug.

"No, that's what you were lead to believe. You see, the only reason that Marcus Carter lived is because of us, his true group. We rescued him from the demon pit and found a way to control the demons so they'd do our bidding. Then, once Carter thanked us all continually, we went under-cover for a year, trying to come up with a way to bring the Goddess back to life. The plan worked, but unfortunately for us, you Named were whole again, thanks to the Goddess's no-good traitorous brother. For it was he who brought back the last member of your little group, and since she never revealed to anybody that this is so, she is still able to live."

We all look at Rochelle, who's looking kind of nervous. _If I say it's true, does that count as telling anybody? _I hear her frantic thoughts. _Better not take any chances._

"So since you were whole again," the Order leader continues, "we went down. We needed a new plan. Thankfully, Carter came up with the plan, using Chloe's skills of overshadowing to his advantage."

"Yes, we already know about that plan," Matt says irritated. "Chloe told us when we stopped it."

The Order leader shakes his head. "No, you only think you know that plan. You see, what Chloe said to you all was a lie. A little 'red herring' to throw you off our trail. We got Chloe to do what Rochelle did almost three years ago; make you all trust her, while she was really on our side. Chloe pretended to love Dillon, and told him all about our fake plan. When you 'foiled' that plan, we knew that you wouldn't think there'd be more. But there is."

"And…this is it?" Dillon asks. "Some really long, lame speech that explains everything that's happened in the past 10 months or so?"

The Order's leader grins. "Nope. This is just a distraction. The real plan is already in motion back in Angel Falls."

Right then, Neriah's voice echoes in my head, and from the looks on the faces of Rochelle and Matt, in theirs too.

_Matt, Rochelle, Arkarian! You have to come back, NOW!_

_What happened? _Matt asks.

_Isabel and I took Ophelia to the park, but Chloe showed up with Carter behind her._

_Did they take you anywhere?_ I ask, fearing the worst.

_Yes, We're in some sort of dungeon. Well…Isabel and I are._

Dread fills me. _What about Ophelia?_

It takes a while for Neriah to answer. _We…don't quite know. Isabel's in hysterics._

Her voice gets cut off, and she screams, I'm assuming both out loud and in her head.

_Neriah!_ Matt cries out to her.

_It's no use, Matt,_ Rochelle says. _I think they're torturing her._

"Oh, and that's supposed to make me feel better?" Matt snaps out loud.

Rochelle doesn't back off. "Yes, because at least, if she's being tortured, you know she's not dead! And isn't death worse than torture?"

"No, no it's not! It death is better because then I wouldn't have to see her being tortured!"

"Two problems with that statement, Matt. One, you already don't have to see her being tortured, since she's all the way back in Angel Falls. And two, she's Immortal! It's impossible for her to be dead, unless one of the Order members that's there is also Immortal, and as far as I know, Lathenia was the only Immortal in the entire Order."

Everyone is silent, even the Order members. Suddenly, Matt runs back the way we came, shouting Neriah's name as he goes.

We watch him go, and Dillon remarks, "Wouldn't it be easier for him if he just turned into a bird or something, and flew away?"

Rochelle shrugs, and I run after Matt, since my wife and kid are back there too. I look back as I'm running, and see Ethan, Rochelle, and Dillon running as well. I only hope we're not too late.

**Wow! A plot within a plot! Let's go check in with the girls, shall we?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Isabel**

If I were able to move, I'd be helping Neriah. But, as it happens, I'm sort of chained to a wall with Chloe guarding me while Neriah fights with Mr. Carter.

"Let's see how you like this," he says, shoving his fist with the weapon he was given 3 years ago into her stomach. Thankfully, I'm able to heal her from where I am, so she gets up within seconds.

"That was okay," she says, "but this is better." Hers is the only weapon aside from Rochelle's hands that is impossible to get rid of, since it's embedded in the palm of her hand. She shoots a lighting bolt at him.

Once he's away from her, she closes her eyes, evidently contacting someone. Unfortunately, Chloe can see this too.

"Oh no you don't!" she yells, charging at Neriah.

"Neriah! Look out!" I yell, but too late. Chloe's body turns into mist, going inside of Neriah. Neriah has time to scream before Chloe takes total control of her.

Neriah-no-Chloe turns to me. "Your baby is quite cute, Isabel."

I struggle with my chains. "Where is Ophelia and what have you done with her?"

"Whoa," Chloe says, "calm down. Your daughter is fine. The Order may be cruel, but we'd never harm an innocent baby."

"Then where is she?" I demand. "I somehow don't believe a word you say. For all I know, you're secretly torturing her in a different room. Prove to me that she's fine, and I might actually co-operate."

"Fine," Chloe snarls, leaving Neriah's body. Neriah falls on the floor in a dead faint. Chloe leaves the room, and I heal Neriah so she'll get up. She runs over to me and undoes my chains.

"Where's Chloe?" she asks.

"Getting Ophelia," I respond. "Listen, I have a plan."

"You know, you don't have to tell me out loud. You can just think it and I'll know."

I nod. "Yes, but there's no way I'm opening my mind at all in this place. I don' t know how many Order members are Truthseers."

"Good point."

"So here's the plan. When Chloe comes back in with Ophelia, you pretend to still be unconscious. Then, Chloe's attention will be focused on me, so you need to keep Ophelia from coming towards me. Try to tell her that she needs to shape shift into something big. I don't know how well it'll work, since she's barely a month old, but it's worth a try. In any case, it'll provide a nice distraction while you get the others to come."

I sense somebody coming. "Quick! Chain me back up before somebody sees!"

She does so, and lies down on the floor where she was just moments ago.

Chloe comes through the door, Ophelia in her arms. "Here's your daughter, safe and sound. Now you keep your part of the deal."

"Put her down and then we'll talk," I instruct, and she does so. Behind her, Neriah calls Ophelia over to her quietly, and then starts whispering to her. I keep Chloe's attention on me by saying things like "You'll never get me to talk" and classic hero stuff like that.

After a while, I see Ophelia take the form of a tiger cub, and walk over to Chloe. Chloe turns around, and Neriah drops to the floor again. Ophelia sits in front of Chloe, staring up at her with big, innocent eyes. Chloe picks her up. "Where did you come from?" she asks no one in particular.

Then, Ophelia growls and claws at Chloe, making Chloe drop her. Just then, Matt bursts through the door. "Matt! Over here!" I yell to him. He looks at me, relieved. "Isabel! You're alive! Where's Neriah?" I motion with my head to where Neriah lays. "Neriah!" Matt exclaims, running over to her. She gets up and hugs him, and the other four come in too.

**The girls are safe! Hooray! The next chapter is the last of this book, and then I'll start on the third one. Do you think I should do what I did for the end of the first? You know, put a note after the next chapter when I type up the first chapter of the last book?**


	13. Chapter 13

**You know what? I'll just do what I did last time. I'll put a note after this chapter when the next book is up.**

**Chapter 13 (the last one)**

**Arkarian**

I run through the door and look around. Matt and Neriah are intertwined with one another. As I look further, I hear someone call my name.

"Arkarian!" I spin around to see Isabel chained to a wall. I run to her and undo the chains. She falls to the ground and I pick her up. She embraces me, so I kiss her. She kisses me back until a tapping at the back of my leg makes me turn. I see a small tiger cub poking me with its paw.

Isabel sees this and laughs. "I was going to tell you later, but it seems that Ophelia wants you to know now."

"What do you mean?"

"Arkarian, our daughter is a shape shifter."

"What? So this tiger is Ophelia?"

"Yep." I pick her up and she transforms back into herself in my arms. "Wow."

Behind me, Chloe gets up from the floor. Dillon goes over to her.

"D-Dillon!" she says nervously. "How are you?"

She's being an idiot. All of us can see the anger and hurt in Dillon's eyes.

"You used me," he says in a low and dangerous tone. "You used me as a part of some evil plot!" He walks towards his ex-girlfriend, glaring all the while.

"N-now Dillon," Chloe says, terror in her voice. "Let's not do anything you'll regret."

"Oh, trust me. I won't regret this at all." He cracks his knuckles, and we all hold our breath. We know that when Dillon gets angry, his skill of strength becomes magnified. Of course, Chloe puts up a force field around herself right when Dillon charges, sending him flying backwards. Isabel heals him from where she is; nobody wants to get in the way.

"Come on, Dillon! You dated me for two weeks! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Chloe's still trying to pull off the 'innocent girl' act, but Dillon's not buying it.

"If those two weeks had been real, then it might mean something. But as it happens, it was all staged. You don't even like me."

Chloe narrows her eyes. "No, Dillon, I don't. In fact, I hate your guts. There may have been a few times while you were with the Order like me that I felt something for you, but that's over." She throws a small disk of a force field at him, which he dodges. "I'm not stupid. I knew right when you betrayed me – and the rest of the Order – that there was no chance of us ever being together for real."

Dillon searches for something to say. "Oh yeah, well…I never really liked you. I just went out with you for the sake of it." He punches her full force.

She staggers before falling backwards. Dillon turns around, and Chloe gets up again.

"Dillon! Look out!" Neriah calls, but Chloe hits Dillon while he's walking away.

"Okay, that's just not fair!" Matt yells. "At least before, you both had an equal chance!"

Chloe snarls. "Do you honestly think I care? 'Cause I don't."

At that moment, several things happen at once; Dillon gets up, Neriah starts calling Chloe all sorts of nasty names, Rochelle joins her, Ethan and Matt try to hold back their girlfriends, Isabel runs in to help Dillon fight, and Ophelia jumps from my arms, changing into a rhinoceros in mid-air.

Ophelia charges at Chloe, ramming her into the wall. The rest of us stand and watch in awe as a small baby takes on a 19-year-old.

It's probably a combination of each and every thing that's happened tonight that makes Chloe crack. "I can't take it any more!" she screams, running out the door.

"Shouldn't we follow her?" Dillon asks after a while.

"Why bother?" Isabel says. "Who really cares what happens to her now?"

Ophelia changes back to herself, and Isabel picks her up. Everyone cheers for Ophelia, and Dillon tries to remind us that he helped too."

"Who cares?" Rochelle says, "It was Ophelia who delivered the final blow."

"But…but…she's just a baby!" Dillon exclaims.

"Yes," Ethan agrees, "and you're a bigger one."

We all laugh, even Dillon. After we get our breath back, Neriah puts a hand on Dillon's shoulder. "Look Dillon," she says calming and soothingly, "we're just all glad that this day is over. It's been stressful and frusterating for all of us. And besides, Ophelia did technically finish Chloe off."

A murmur of agreement passes over the group. Isabel looks at her watch. "We should get going," she says regretfully. "It's way past Ophelia's bedtime."

"Okay," Neriah says. "You three go."

"Yeah, we'll celebrate on our own," Rochelle agrees. So we say goodbye, and as we walk out the door, I distinctly hear Rochelle start a chorus of "Ding Dong The Bitch Has Left". I smile to myself. Things have definitely worked out well.

**End**

**How sweet! I think…oh well! I'm gonna get started on the third one now. Hope you've liked the first two so far! Remember, the next one is the last one; it's only a trilogy here, people!**


	14. Author's Note

**The third fic is now up. It's called "The Continuation", and it'll have 11 chapters, just like The Separation. This next one is ****definitely**** my favourite out of the three! Hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!**


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